Israel Update for February 2012

Later in the month, Saudi state-run news outlets said that King Abdullah had phoned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to express his deep displeasure over the Russian veto. He said that "Russia should have coordinated with the Arabs before using the veto," adding that his country would "never abandon its religious and moral obligations towards what is happening" to his fellow Sunni Muslims, who are leading the battle against the Assad regime, aided in recent weeks by Al Qaida fighters from several neighboring countries, especially Iraq. The monarch's harsh rebuke came just days before diplomats from over 60 nations gathered in Tunisia to discuss ways to end the bloodshed in Syria.

Meanwhile Awad Al-Razak, a military officer who recently defected to the opposition Free Syrian Army, told the Al-Arabiya newspaper that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against protesters in the city of Homs, under the supervision of Russian and Iranian scientists. The disturbing claim came as Sen. John McCain called upon outside sources to arm the Syrian opposition. Noting that Al Qaida is now aiding the opposition, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said such a move would be "premature."

Arabs Riot In Jerusalem

Tensions flared in Jerusalem in late February after Palestinians attacked a group of Christian tourists as they were heading up to the Temple Mount. Police said the Palestinians thought the tourists were local Jews who intended to pray at Judaism's holiest site on earth. The following Friday, a young Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli policemen as he was hurling an exploding firecracker at them in the Arab suburb of Al-Ram, where hundreds of rioting Palestinians clashed with security forces. Earlier Palestinians hurled rocks and other objects at Jews praying next to the Temple Mount's Western Wall.

Negotiations took place all month between leaders of the Palestinian Authority and the rival Hamas movement as attempts continued to forge a unity government to rule over nearly four million Palestinians in the PA-ruled disputed territories north and south of Jerusalem and in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Several other Palestinian political factions also took part in the talks, held in Cairo. Hamas leaders said late in the month that they still had differences with the PA. Israeli leaders said again in February that the inclusion of the militant Islamic fundamentalist offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement would spell the complete end of the struggling peace process.

With the tense Middle East now ticking like a time bomb, it is good to know that those who trust in the Lord can take shelter in His loving arms, as the psalmist David did while being pursued by King Saul. "Be gracious to me oh God, be gracious to me; for my soul takes refuge in You. And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by (Psalm 57:1).